A set of data that naturally comes together is called a “record”. The individual data in the record are called “fields”. For capture fisheries data, the natural data record is a “fishing trip” or perhaps a “fishing operation” for stationary gears.
In the simple case, a fishing vessel leaves the port, steams to the fishing grounds, fishes for a while and then steams back to the port where it lands all the catch. Together these events are called a “fishing trip”. The duration of the fishing trip is the time between leaving port and returning to port. This is often referred to as “days away from port” as a 24-hours day is often used as unit for time. The “time fished” (days fishing) is the trip duration minus the time spent steaming to and from the fishing grounds. The duration of the trip and time fished are important variables for many different types of analyses.
The important feature about the “fishing trip” is that it should be possible to allocate a catch and a fishing effort to a fishing trip in an unambiguous manner. That demand, however, is not always easy to meet in practice. For many fishing trips, the allocation of catch and effort is straightforward, but there are also many types of trips that are more complex. Some of the most common deviations from the simple standard trip type are as follows.
Pair Trawling: Two vessels operate one trawl. Often only one of the vessels keeps the catch. Sometimes the two vessels have different attributes, and certain measurements are problematic. For example, the two vessels may have engines with different horsepower, but the total horsepower cannot just be calculated as the sum, since the smallest engine may determine the upper limit of trawling speed, etc.
Group Fishing: Includes pair trawling but may be any number of vessels collaborating during the fishing operation. On long distance fishing trips, vessels may stay in groups for security reasons, but they may also share the work between them. While some vessels actually catch the fish, others may scout for resources, or transport the catch to the landing place. Often one particular vessel may act as group-leader, and distribute the tasks among the vessels in the group.
Transshipment: Vessels may not land all their catch themselves, but transfer the catch to other vessels, which may be fishing vessels or collector vessels.
Multiple Landings Places: Vessels may land at more than one landing place. For example, shrimps may be landed in one place, squid in another and fin-fish in a third place.
These deviations from the standard fishing trip complicate data collection structured around the trip. However, the fishing trip is the natural unit in most cases, and although not universal, the trip concept is difficult to replace by anything more useful. It will be an additional task for the enumerators to record non-standard trips, so that catches and effort can be allocated to them.
Thus, “a fishing trip” may be a rather complicated concept. One safe, but costly method for the collection of trip data is to place observers (enumerators) onboard the vessel during a fishing trip. Apart from the observations on group fishing, the observers will also be in a position to record the entire catch and not only the landings, as is the condition for the land-based enumerator (see also Section 3.4.3). The use of observers may have more objectives than collecting discard data and information on group fishing. For example, an observer can monitor the fishing operations in general or even take biological samples. The use of observers is recommended if the budget and manpower allow for this activity.
A second reliable method is to carry out experimental fishing using chartered commercial or research vessels to simulate commercial fishing operations. If the gears used for the experimental fishery are commercial gears and the fishing grounds are the same as those of the commercial fishery, the experimental fishing vessels can be assumed to catch the same as the commercial vessels. Under the conditions of an experimental fishery, any detail of the catch can be recorded, and subsequently compared to the commercial landings.
The basic data unit the “fishing trip”, is carried out by one or more “fishing vessels” (or in general “fishing unit”, in case there is no vessel involved in the fishing operations). Thus there is a “one-to-many relationship” between the vessels and the fishing trips (“for one vessel there are many fishing trips”).
The data about the fishing trip is combined with the data about the fishing vessel when the landings data are processed. For example, a set of trips can be grouped according to which fleet the vessels belong to. Knowledge about fishing vessels allows for estimation of the total number of fishing days executed by each fishing fleet. Here, “fishing days” are used as an example of effort measure. Alternatively, one of the measures presented in Table 3.1.1 could be used, and that may actually lead to more accurate estimates of the effort.
The set of data collected from a fishing trip cannot be processed in isolation, but only in combination with a “Vessel Register”. If a vessel register is not available, some other set of data, which can partly replace the vessel register, must be made available. An alternative to the vessel register is could be a “Frame Survey”.
The number of vessels in a fleet must be known in order to estimate the total landings by fleet A during month b:
Total Landings = (Number of fleet A vessels) × (Average catch/day/vessel) × (Activity level)
where Activity level = the average number of fishing days during month b. Alternatively, using one of the effort measures presented in Table 3.1.1 instead of “fishing day”
Total Landings = (Number of fleet A vessels) × (Average catch/effort unit/vessel)× (Activity level)
where Activity level = the average number of units of effort exerted during month b. For more details see Section 4.4.
The assumption behind the above calculations is that all fishing vessels have approximately the same fishing power. Even if all fishing vessels have rather different fishing powers within a fleet, the average estimate may still be unbiased if all vessels have approximately the same activity level.
The vessel register is the backbone of fisheries statistics. The creation and maintenance of a vessel register has first priority among the different fisheries data.
The vessel register contains the characteristics of each vessel, such as a unique registration code, the dimensions of the hull and the engine etc. (for further details, see Section 5.8.9). The registration code is usually a combination of letters indicating the homeport of the vessel and a number. Sometimes the vessel registration code indicates the license agreement or the legal basis under which the vessel operates. For example the code, “HP 4711 TS” indicates a vessel from the province of Hai Phong registered as fishing vessel by the provincial authorities (“TS”) with the number “4711”. (For further suggestions on vessel registration see Flewwelling 1994.)
The vessel register is not only used for the registration and processing of catch/effort/activity data, but also for the purpose of taxation, payment of subsidies, issuing of licences, payment of licence fees, surveillance, enforcement of fisheries regulations, inspection etc. In principle, all fishing vessels should be registered in one way or another. Larger vessels are usually registered, but the smaller vessels are often not registered and therefore not easy to identify.
In the present context, we shall focus on the use of the vessel register for the processing of trip data, of which the catch and effort data are the essential information.
The role of the vessel register in relation to the catch/effort/activity data collected by interviews is illustrated in Figure 5.2.1. Once the enumerator interviews the skipper or buyer, it is enough to record the unique vessel registration code. The database system is then able to retrieve all the details about the vessel in question from the vessel register. The database system will also be able to allocate the vessel to a fleet and to interpret the effort data according to the fleet the vessel belongs to (data processing will be discussed in detail in Chapter 6).
It is of utmost importance that the vessel registration codes are unique, so no two vessels have the same code. The vessel register database should check the integrity of any new registration code relative to all other vessels in the country. This is possible if the vessel registration of a country is centralised (all provinces and states combined).
Figure 5.2.1 The role of the vessel register in relation to the catch/effort/activity data collected by interviews.
The vessel codes in each fleet can easily be extracted from a vessel register at any time. If the vessel register is updated with a short time lag, the number of vessels by fleet can be calculated precisely. If a complete vessel register is not available, an alternative way of counting the number of vessels in each fleet is required.
A “frame survey” is an inventory list of fishing units at a specific time, sometimes combined with an indication of their activity levels (e.g. the number of active fishing days per month). A frame survey is usually a complete enumeration as far as the number of units is concerned, whereas the activity data are often sampled.
The role of the frame survey in relation to the catch/effort/activity data collected by interviews is illustrated by Figure 5.2.2. One of the main purposes of a frame survey is to provide multiplication factors needed for raising procedures. Furthermore, if drastic changes have taken place in the distribution of fleets, for example, the results may be used to modify the allocation of samples.
Figure 5.2.2 The role of the frame survey in relation to the catch/effort/activity data collected by interviews.
The frame survey should be updated every fishing season or within some other time unit which forms the basis for raising samples to total landings. A full frame survey can be repeated less often, about every five years.
The local fisheries authorities will usually assist the sampling programme with the counting of vessels in each port. The frame survey will have a definition of fishing fleets, which is usually difficult to change after the completion of the survey. The vessel register, on the other hand, allows for any definition and redefinition of fleets. There is often the need for special definitions of fleets for special purposes. Thus, a well-managed vessel register is much more useful than a frame survey. Frame surveys should be seen as an interim solution until a continuously updated vessel register can be established.
The number of vessels can be linked either to the homeport or to the base port. The base port is a port far enough away from the homeport, that the vessel will return to the base port rather than to the homeport between fishing trips. A vessel may for example move 200 nautical miles away from the homeport, to fish at fishing grounds closer to another harbour. The vessel will then land the catches in this base port or in landing places near to the base port. The vessel may then stay in the base port during a fishing season. Sometimes this migration of fishing vessels is recorded by the coast guard, harbour police or some other local authority.
The relevant relation between numbers of vessels and port is usually the base port, as it is assumed that all vessels of a fleet in a certain area (strata) behave equally in all respects. The fishing grounds and target species are related to the base port rather than the homeport.
Migration of fishing vessels will complicate the estimation procedures only when the migration implies a change of fishing grounds and target species. The coast guard (or the relevant harbour authority) may record the migration, or the migration may be estimated by the sampling programme under the “Directorate of Fisheries”.
When landed, the catch is usually sorted to meet the request from the buyers. The grading of the catch is dictated primarily by commercial requirements.
The price per kg remains the same for all parts of a commercial group. Thus, the value of the landings is calculated as the sum of the weights of each commercial group multiplied by their price.
The commercial grading will also reflect the taxonomic grouping. The catch will nearly always be separated into fish, shrimps, cephalopods and others. The grading will be more elaborate the higher the value is. For high value shrimps ten to fifteen size grades may be used, and usually the shrimps will be sorted by species. Also high value fish and cephalopods will be sorted by species and by size groups, such as “Small”, “Medium” and “Large”. In certain cases the catch is processed onboard the vessel before being landed (for example dried squid), which will create other types of commercial groups. For low value small fish, often not used for direct human consumption, the corresponding commercial group may contain many species of fish.
The data most easily accessible for the enumerator is the weight by commercial group and the price per kilogram. Sometimes a commercial group is the same as a species, but in general, the enumerator must take a sample to estimate the species composition of a commercial group. If a commercial group is a size class of one species, the total weight of the species must be calculated from the sum of all size classes.
Commercial groups are sometimes standardised within the country or region by the fisheries legislation, and that makes the administration of data by commercial groups easier. However, in other countries commercial groups may change during the year, it may change from landing place to landing place and from fleet to fleet.
Processing plants may hold data records for monitoring their own commercial activities. These records may also have other uses and be an inexpensive source of information for data collection programmes. The following discussion focuses on shrimp, but exactly the same results apply to any fish that are sorted into size categories.
Most landings of shrimps are exported, but before being exported, they are processed. This usually means that they are graded in species groups (like “Tiger”, “White”, “Flower” etc.) and within each group, they are graded according to size. Often the product is recorded as the “number of tails per pound” or “number of whole shrimps per kg”, but other categories exist. Sometimes the shrimps are exported whole (“Head-on”) and then the size categories are different. There are typically 10 to 15 different size categories, and these size categories can easily be converted into length-groups, the input needed for the length-based VPA. Thus, shrimp processing plant production records contain excellent scientific data, which can be used as input for fish stock assessment.
A certain number of tails per pound corresponds to a certain tail weight and a tail weight corresponds to a whole-shrimp weight, and a whole-shrimp weight correspond to body length (actually we use carapace length). Thus, we relate a commercial size category to a length interval. For example, for a certain species the commercial size category (or “count”) “25–30 tails/pound” corresponds to the length interval “30.87–33.15 mm carapace length”.
Table 5.4.1 Conversion of production by commercial size categories into number of shrimp
| Counts | Average weight of tail (g) | Number of boxes/1000 | Total weight of boxes* | Number of shrimps/1000 | Body lengths (mm) | ||
| From | To | From (lower) | To (upper) | ||||
| (lower) | (upper) | ||||||
| 1 | 15 | 54.3 | 8 | 40 | 737 | 40.50 | 117.09 |
| 16 | 20 | 24.1 | 15 | 75 | 3109 | 36.18 | 39.49 |
| 21 | 25 | 18.9 | 16 | 80 | 4237 | 33.15 | 35.50 |
| 26 | 30 | 15.5 | 17 | 85 | 5480 | 30.87 | 32.65 |
| 31 | 35 | 13.2 | 24 | 120 | 9117 | 29.06 | 30.47 |
| 36 | 40 | 11.4 | 33 | 165 | 14435 | 27.58 | 28.74 |
| 41 | 50 | 9.5 | 37 | 185 | 19378 | 25.27 | 27.31 |
| 51 | 70 | 7.2 | 27 | 135 | 18800 | 22.14 | 25.07 |
| 71 | 110 | 4.8 | 12 | 60 | 12497 | 18.55 | 22.02 |
| 111 | 400 | 1.7 | 4 | 20 | 11755 | 11.18 | 18.48 |
| * One box = 5 kg | Total | 965 | 99546 | ||||
More problematic than size is the species composition. Usually each type of product is composed of several shrimp species, so some additional sampling, corresponding to the species composition in the commercial groups from the fishing vessels has to be done. Furthermore, for shrimp we will often also want to know the sex-composition, because the female shrimps grow to a larger (and more valuable) size than the male shrimps.
Table 5.4.1 shows an example of a conversion from the number of 5 kg boxes produced into the number of shrimps. Knowing the average weight of shrimp tails in a commercial category, one can convert the number of boxes into number of shrimps.
The next step is to split the numbers estimated into species. This split has to be based on samples taken before the shrimps are graded, headed and peeled. Table 5.4.2 shows an example where we assume that there are only two shrimp species represented in the processed quantities. For example, the number of male species B in category 21–25 tails/unit becomes: 4237 × 0.12 = 508.
The raising procedure for shrimp processing plants of a province (if there are several in a province) and all provinces in a division of the country follows the same principles as those used for the fishing vessels (Section 4.4).
The data in the last four columns of Table 5.4.2 (Numbers processed) can be used directly as input to the VPA (but only if they represent the total catches of the stock in question accumulated over one year). Each column is analysed separately, so that for each combination of species and sex there would be a separate VPA.
One problem with processing plant data is that it may be difficult to trace the quantities processed back to the fleet that caught the shrimp. However, the fleet distribution estimated from fishing port samples could be used, assuming it is identical to that for the processed catch. In this case, the numbers processed is distributed among fleets in the same proportion as indicated by the fishing port samples. Where most of the shrimps species, size and sex categories are processed for export, this assumption may be reasonable.
Table 5.4.2 Hypothetical example to illustrate splitting commercial categories to estimate the numbers of shrimp in each species, size and sex category.
| Counts (lower limit of length class) | Number of Shrimps/1000 | Scientific Sampling of Commercial Groups Species-Sex Proportions | Numbers Processed | ||||||
| Sp. A | Sp. B | Sp. A | Sp. B | ||||||
| F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | ||
| 1 | 737 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 737 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 3109 | 0.56 | 0.24 | 0.14 | 0.06 | 1741 | 746 | 435 | 187 |
| 21 | 4237 | 0.42 | 0.28 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 1780 | 1186 | 763 | 508 |
| 26 | 5480 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 1644 | 1644 | 1096 | 1096 |
| 31 | 9117 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 2279 | 2279 | 2279 | 2279 |
| 36 | 14435 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 2887 | 2887 | 4331 | 4331 |
| 41 | 19378 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 2907 | 2907 | 6782 | 6782 |
| 51 | 18800 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 2820 | 2820 | 6580 | 6580 |
| 71 | 12497 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 1250 | 1250 | 4999 | 4999 |
| 111 | 11755 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 1176 | 1176 | 4702 | 4702 |
Data from processing plants can be procured at very little cost if the processing plants will give access to their files. As shrimps are a valuable marine resource, it is often wise to give a high priority to collect data from shrimp processing plants. Care should be taken that the data from individual enterprises are treated with confidentiality, so that delivery of production data will not damage the position of the individual company relative to its competitors. As a rule, data on individual enterprises should not be published without their consent.
Other types of data from the fisheries sector, which are not specific to fisheries only, are kept in databases outside the area of responsibility of the Directorate of Fisheries. A government statistics department may provide information of interest to fisheries. Detailed data are not likely to be available at this department, but must be obtained from specialised databases. These specialised databases may be located in other ministries, like “Ministry of Planning”, “Ministry of the Interior”, “Ministry of Agriculture”, “Ministry of Defence”, “Ministry of the Environment”, etc. Data may also be obtained from local databases, maintained by the provinces of the country. Universities, research institutes, research projects or development projects may keep databases of interest to fisheries. Finally, there are international fisheries databases, maintained by international organisations. Part of the information from international databases may be used for validation of the national database (see also Section 6.7). The annual fisheries statistics produced by the Directorate of Fisheries should include international fisheries statistics for comparison with the national statistics. The fisheries data collection programme should regularly check other relevant national and international databases for useful information.
The data from “other sources” are, for example, used to produce “Fisheries Sector Profiles”, which in turn can be used for the stratification and validation of the basic fisheries data. This type of data is inhomogeneous, and a complete discussion of their use is considered outside the scope of the present manual. Here, only a short list of important sources is given together with examples of the type of data that might be obtained:
Demographic data: human parameters of the fishing communities, e.g. statistics and details of fisher families.
Infra structure data: roads, housing, transport, ports, processing plants etc.
Institutional data: laws, regulations, inspection and enforcement of fisheries, education, taxation and subsidies, loan providers.
Market structure: markets usually consist of merchants who buy the landings and pass them on down a chain ultimately to the consumer. Merchants often have additional relationships with fishers, for example, they may lend money to the fishers. Data includes information on the how landings are purchased, loans given to fishers etc.
Import/export data: quantities and qualities of imported/exported marine products.
Taxation: authorities may keep audited records on production for tax purposes, which can be used for validation of interview data.
Household data: this is the sociological information on the fisher families, such as number of family members, their age, education, occupation, income, houses and installations in houses, ethnic background, religion etc.
Community data: this is the sociological information on the structure of the relationships between the fisher families, including the fishing village organisation, merchants, co-operatives, support industries etc.
Coast guard (or harbour police) registrations: port authorities may record the migration of fishing vessels, which may be invaluable information for the processing of interview samples.
Meteorological and geographical data: these data may be used for definitions of fishing grounds and seasons and to estimate environmental effects that drive the stock dynamics or limit fisheries. They may also be used for validation.
Co-operatives: fishers' co-operatives sometimes maintain records (e.g. for accounting) of a higher quality than individual skippers. Individual skippers may not keep long time series of detailed information on catches, fishing grounds, costs and earnings, investment etc., whereas some co-operatives do. Such data are valuable in their own respect and they can supplement or validate data from the interview samples.
Fisher associations: fishers' organisations may sometimes keep records on their members and the production of members. In the case where the association manages an auction system, they may keep sales slips, which can be used to supplement and validate the interview samples.
Banks: these may provide information on loans and interest rates to the fisheries sector. Banks may also keep databases on the costs and earnings of the vessels.
Insurance companies: insurance records may provide information on insurance fees and risks, as well as the assessment of vessels, gear and other equipment.
Support industries: other industries include gear and other equipment makers, ice plants, repair shops, chandlers etc. Data may be used to estimate costs of fishing and indirect estimates of effort.
Fishing companies: industrialised fishing companies usually keep detailed records on their activities. Industrial vessels may fill in logbooks for each trip (see Section 5.6).
The private industry must be obliged to deliver basic information to government agencies, secured by adequate legislation. Some information from individual private entrepreneurs, however, must be treated as confidential information. Often only summary information on the industry is published, in such a form that the information cannot be traced back to individual entrepreneurs.
Figure 5.6.1 shows a set of logbook and sales slip forms. In this example, one form A1 is filled in for each fishing trip and one form A2 for each fishing operation each day. Thus, to each A1 form several A2 forms may be attached. Form B, is filled in by the buyer of the landings, for example, at the auction where landings are sold. Forms A and B contain overlapping information, such as the landings by species, which can be used for data-validation.
It is standard for the fishers and fish buyers in industrialised countries and some developing countries to fill in logbooks and sales slips. Filling in logbooks for all fishing activities allows for complete enumeration of landings and effort. Most tropical developing countries have one or more fishing companies operating industrialised vessels. The industrialised fishing companies will usually request that their skippers fill in a logbook and they will keep records on their production. Such information can be a valuable supplement to the data collected from interview samples.
In some countries, logbooks are compulsory and otherwise, they may be maintained for internal bookkeeping. Logbooks contain the essential fishing trip information, such as start and end date, fishing grounds, gear used, catch and landings etc. Each trip is recorded in the logbook on one or more pages.
The compulsory logbook / sales slip system, is the ideal system from the data collector's point of view, as it allows for complete enumeration. However, logbooks and sales slips do not automatically imply a very high quality of data. Compulsory filling in of logbooks and sales slips usually goes together with strict enforcement of fisheries regulations. The fishers and buyers of landings may not fill in the form correctly to avoid prosecution. Mis-reporting (e.g. reporting one species as if it were another species) is not uncommon in more developed countries. The sample-based interview data collection may therefore provide more unbiased information, because it may be more difficult to misreport landings face to face with the enumerator during the off-loading. However, in general, a logbook system is considered superior to a sample-based system, and establishment of compulsory logbooks is recommended.
As this manual deals mainly with the sample-based approach (not complete enumeration), no further details will be given about logbooks.
FORM A1. TRIP LOGSHEET (LOG BOOK)
| Log-sheet Serial No: | Vessel Id.: | IRCS: | Trip No: | Date: | ||||||
| License No: | Vessel name | Log-sheets attached | From: | to: | ||||||
| PORT | DATE | TIME | ||
| Departure | ||||
| Arrival |
| LANDING PLACE | BUYER | DATE | LANDED QUANTITY (KG) | |
| Captain's signature: | Date: / / | |||
(q)
FORM A2. LOGSHEET (Many A2 forms for each A1 form)
| Log-sheet Serial No: | Vessel Id.: | IRCS: | Trip No: | Date: | |||||||||||||
| FILL IN A NEW PAGE FOR EACH DAY, CHART AREA, GEAR OR MESH SIZE FISHED | |||||||||||||||||
| Chart area: | Gear type: | Quantity gear: | Gear size: | ||||
| Mesh size: | No. of hauls/sets: | Average tow/soak time: | |||||
| STATISTICAL AREA | SPECIES | LANDINGS (kg) | DISCARDS (kg) | ||||
| Captain's signature: | Date: / / | ||||||
FORM B. SALES NOTE (SALES SLIP)
| Invoice | No. | Purchase date | ||||
| Buyer identification code | Buyer Name: | |||||
| Vessel identification code | Vessel name: | |||||
| Landings place | Landings date | |||||
| SPECIES | CATEGORY | GRADE | QUALITY | WEIGHT | PRICE/KG | VALUE |
Figure 5.6.1 Examples of Logbook/Log-sheets and sales slip (logbooks are not included in the methodology suggested in this manual).
As an example of an objective of the data collection programme, we shall use the estimation of total landings by fleet and commercial group. If compulsory log books and sales slips are not available for estimation of total landings, a complete enumeration is usually not possible, and the data collection will have to depend on samples which are subsequently raised to an estimate of the total landings (see Section 4.4).
The most obvious way to collect information about the fishing trip is to interview the crew of the vessel and/or the merchant associated with the vessel at the time of landing. The data in question are catch and effort and fishing trip details. Data on vessel details may also be collected if a dependable vessel register is not available.
The picture on the cover of this manual shows a real-life interview situation from Viet Nam, where landings are in a process of being landed in the island of Cat Ba. The photo illustrates the practical conditions for sample-based data collection in a tropical developing country. The landings (in this case mixed demersal fish) are weighed in baskets using a balance scale. Landings of squid in Viet Nam are usually in plastic bags and separated into each size category (small, medium and large). The weight and the price of the basket is recorded by the assistant of a fish buyer. Figure 5.7.1 shows a page from the record-book of the fish buyer purchasing the landings depicted on the cover.
| Name of commercial species group | Kg landed | Price per kg | Total value of landings |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small squid | 53 | 5000 | 265000 | |
| Medium squid | 27 | 10000 | 270000 | |
| Large squid | 12 | 23000 | 276000 | |
| Mixed small fish | 250 | 2000 | 500000 | |
| Mixed medium fish | 100 | 2500 | 250000 | |
| … . .etc. | … … . | … … . . | … … . . | |
| Total | Sum |
Figure 5.7.1 A page from the record-book of the middleperson buying the landings in the cover picture.
The picture and Figure 5.7.1 give an indication of the accuracy, that can be expected from the samples. The observations achieved in such a situation can be considered reasonably dependable, as the enumerator is in a position to carry out visual inspections of the fish and other record books.
The different types of data to be collected are indicated in Table 5.7.1, which gives a complete set of “trip-data”. A complete set of “trip-data” is, however, not common. Most often only a sub-set of the data will be collected. The complete set of trip-data includes data from measurement of samples of fish, squid or shrimps, and it is usually beyond the capacity of enumerators to take measurement samples from all trips sampled.
The vessel may (or may not) land at more than one landing place. That a vessel visits two landing places on one trip may be caused by a number of factors, for example a higher price for squid in one place and a higher price for fish at another.
Table 5.7.1 The principal data types collected during an interview.
| Sample information | Date of sampling Enumerator |
| Vessel information: | Vessel registration Vessel details (dimensions, engine etc.) Gear details |
| Effort and activity: | Days away from port, days fishing, additional detailed effort data Active fishing days during last month |
| Spatial information: | Fishing grounds Landing place(s) |
| Information on total landings: | Weight by commercial group Value, (price/kg) by commercial group |
| Discard information: | Number of discard operations Percent discarded |
| Within commercial group samples: | Sample species composition from selected commercial groups Weight (number) by species |
| Within species, length frequencies samples: | Sample for length frequencies (and other biological measurements) for selected species Number of specimens by length class |
The fishers or the buyers will nearly always sort the catch into commercial species and size groups. The species and size groups are determined by the market prices and the appearance (size, quality etc.) of the species in the commercial groups. Specimens of similar appearance are (naturally) in the same group. Individual body sizes will usually also be taken into account.
The data, which can easily be obtained from the skipper's or buyer's accounting book, are the quantities landed by commercial groups and the price per kilo. The landings are usually sold by the basket, box, plastic bag etc. (here named “container”) and each container will be weighed. The sum of containers making up the total quantity of a certain commercial group will usually be available to the enumerator.
The next set of details to be sampled is the species composition within a commercial species group (Figure 5.7.2). Sometimes a commercial group (in particular in the case of expensive specimens for export) will comprise only one species, or even only one size group of one species. Expensive species like groupers are usually gathered into small, medium and large grouper categories, and often by species. However, the most common case is that the commercial group comprises two or more species. If the species composition is required, it is necessary to buy or otherwise obtain a sample, and then separate it into species.
The ultimate level of detail collected is that of the length frequency samples and/or other biological data. These samples will be the same as the samples taken for species composition, or sub-samples of the species composition samples.
Sometimes the fishers will be able to give information on the amounts discarded. They may in the case of a trawl fishery be able to tell how many hauls were made from which a certain fraction was discarded. They may also be able to tell the composition (species and size groups) of the discards (also discussed in Section 3.4.3).
While collecting landings data, the enumerator should also collect information on the gear, the effort and the fishing grounds. The most basic effort data you can collect is the number of days away from port. If possible, the number of fishing days will also be recorded. Often this will be the only effort data available. However, the methodology should be modified if more detailed effort data can be collected (see Section 3.1.2).
Figure 5.7.2 Data collected from a “trip-interview” (for the interpretation of symbols, see Section 4.4.2).
Two types of data related to effort are collected:
Effort: for example, number of fishing days;
Activity level: Past fishing effort, for example the number of days spent fishing over the previous month. These data may be used as part of a raising factor to estimate the catches of the vessel including days not sampled.
Sometimes more details will be available, in which case there will be both details about the gear (such as mesh size of a trawl), and effort details such as the number of trawl hauls and the duration of a trawl haul.
The eight forms suggested for sample-based catch/effort, vessel registration and bio-economic data collection are based upon the fisheries sector described in Section 3.4. They are presented in Section 5.8.10.
Trip interview form;
Species composition of Commercial Group form;
Length frequency form;
Variable costs and earnings per trip and additional trip information;
Fishing activity in base port (one vessel category-fleet, for sample-based approach;
Frame survey in homeport (port of registration), for sample-based approach;
Fixed (annual) costs by vessel;
Vessel registration.
The first four forms are associated with the interview of a skipper or buyer at the time of landing. Forms 2 and 3 are used only in the case where the enumerator takes samples for biological data. Form 4 is used only in the case where costs and earnings data are collected. If Forms 2, 3 and/or 4 are filled in, a “Sample number” will link them to Form 1. For each Form 1, there may be several of Form 2, and for each Form 2 there may be several of Form 3. There will be only one Form 4 for each Form 1.
Forms 5 to 8 are mutually independent, as well as independent from Forms 1 to 4. Forms 1 to 4 are based on the fishing trips, where as Forms 5 to 8 are based on fishing vessels.
The forms shown here use only the English language. They should, however, all appear in both English and the language of the location in question. The version in the local language will usually be the form used by the enumerators.
The first 4 forms make up a hierarchy, where Form 1 will always be present. One cannot have Forms 2 or 4 without Form 1, and one cannot have Form 3 without Form 2. On Forms 1 and 2 there is a field which indicates whether the next form in the hierarchy exists. On Form 1 it reads: "Comm. Gr. Y/N. The field must always be filled in with “Yes” or “No”. On Form 2 the similar field to indicate the existence of next form in the hierarchy is named “Length Freq. Sample”
Boxes: The data fields of the forms are structured in groups or “boxes” of data, which are logically related.
Page Number: The forms are designed so that in most cases the enumerator will have to fill in only one page of each type of forms. If, however, one form is not sufficient, two or more forms can be used, and page number should be inserted.
Sample Information Box: This box contains information on who collected the data, who entered the data into the computer, which type of sample the record represents and the validity of the samples. The meaning of “sample-type” and “sample validity” will be discussed for the individual forms.
Enumerator/Encoder: The responsible enumerator and database encoder must fill in their initials on the forms. This information is used for subsequent validation and quality control.
Comments: There may occur various unexpected observations, which do fit into the specific fields, and this information may be entered in the “comment-boxes”.
Sample Number: The sample number is to be used by the enumerator/encoder for her/his internal bookkeeping. It is not used for processing of data. Sample numbers are useful when linking several forms used during an interview, in particular when the enumerators and the encoder are not the same person.
Look-Up Tables: Whenever possible, the fields are filled in by selecting an item from a “look-up table” (see Section O). Only values from the look-up tables will be accepted as input to the database system. The look-up tables will contain a full description of the possible values, as well as a code. The enumerator will however, only enter the code on the form. As an example, Table 5.8.1 contains a possible set of codes and description of the values accepted for body length measurement. The use of look-up tables and well-designed codes will reduce the probability errors and will facilitate the validation of raw data.
Table 5.8.1 Example codes indicating how length was measured. Measurements can be linked to particular species, so the enumerators should be provided with a list indicating the measurement type to be applied for each species.
| Code | Length Measurement type |
| CL | Carapace length |
| FL | Folk length |
| ML | Mantle length |
| SL | Standard length |
| TL | Total length |
Forms 1 to 4 are linked, so Forms 2 to 4 require a Form 1 to be completed.
Sample Information Box:
Sample type: The concept of “sample type” is defined by the local conditions (this also applies to several other fields). Instead of a generic explanation, several fields are described by examples. Examples of sample types are:
Not known;
Buyer interview from sales-book;
Buyer interview when landing;
Buyer -Interview without effort data;
Skipper's relative interview;
Skipper's wife interview;
Skipper-Interview from sales-book;
Skipper-Interview when landing;
…etc.
Sample validity: This indicates limitations in the use of the record for processing. Examples of “sample validity” are:
Not known;
Not for raising of total catch;
Not for raising of total length frequency;
Not for estimation of catch;
Not for estimation of effort;
Only part of landings recorded;
Landings from several vessels;
Skipper not willing to report;
Skipper not well organised;
…etc.
Vessel Information Box: This box contains information on vessel, gear and “group fishing”. The data in this box can be used for definition of “fleets”. The fleets need not be defined in the form of input to the database, but may be defined by aid of the data in the vessel register combined with the data in the vessel information box. Also, spatial information may be used for fleet definition.
Vessel registration number and horsepower: Ideally, the vessel registration number should be sufficient to get all the vessel details. The vessel register should also provide the engine horsepower and other characteristics of the vessel. In this case, it is assumed, however, that the vessel register is not updated continuously, and that it may contain erroneous values. Therefore, the form provides the option for updating and correcting the vessel register. The box “Vessel details” is reserved only for updating and validating the vessel register. While interviewing the skipper, the enumerator can conveniently collect the vessel registration data. The field “More Inf.” is checked if, for example, a vessel registration form was corrected.
Gear 1 and gear 2: The form allows for entry of two different gears with one field for “Gear characteristics” (e.g. mesh size). Should more fields be required, the form should be extended accordingly. The fields “More inf.” next to the gear characteristics is intended for reference to additional gear-detail forms, which are not included in the present set of forms. A complete set of forms covering all possible details on the major gears is considered outside the scope of the manual.
Group fishing: There are many types of fishery where two or more fishing vessels collaborate, notably pair trawling. For pair trawling, the second vessel should be recorded under “more information”. That means that the enumerator will have to fill in two units of form 1. The field "Group fishing will have to be filled in with the code for “Pair trawling”, and the field “Mate Vessel 1 Reg. No.” in Form 4, can be used to enter the registration code for the mate vessel. Other types of “group fishing” are more complicated. For example, a group of vessels may fish on distant fishing grounds, with one of them landing the catches of several vessels, while they remain on the fishing grounds. In this case, the enumerator should try to allocate the landings to the vessels that caught them. The fields “Mate vessel x Reg. No.” in Form 4 allow for up to 4 vessels in the group. Should there be more than four vessels, Form 4 should be extended with more fields.
Spatial Information Box: This box contains information on where data was collected and where fishing took place.
Sampling location: Site where sample was collected, (usually a landing place).
Fishing grounds: Name of fishing grounds as reported by the fishers. The database should contain a table, which defines the fishing grounds in terms of statistical rectangles (say 30 × 30 nm) or divisions of statistical rectangles (say, 10 × 10 nm)
Depth: Average depth at fishing grounds.
Statistical rectangle and division of statistical rectangles: In case the fishers are in a position to indicate the position of the fishing, the enumerator can provide the statistical rectangle. Fishing positions by statistical rectangles allows presentation and analysis of distribution of resources and fisheries using GIS (Geographical Information System).
Landings Information Box: Landings may take place at more than one site. For example, shrimps, fish and cephalopods may be landed at three different places. Therefore the data collected at a specific sample site may not be representative of the entire catch. This box contains information on where different parts of the catch were landed as well as the quantities and commercial groups landed.
Information on Discarding Box: This box is used to record the type and quantity of fish discarded.
Type of discards: The type of discards may be, for example, “All fish”, “All Small fish”, and “All low value fish”. The types actually used depend on the nature of the fishery, for example, the selectivity of the gear in question.
Number of operations with/without discards: Some gear-operations may lead to discarding, whereas others do not. For example, a trawler may keep the entire catch from the last hauls, where all preceding hauls involved discarding. Such information may be used to estimate the total discards (see Section 3.4.3).
Percent discarded: The percent in weight of the total catch that is discarded.
Effort Information Box: Fishing effort can be measured in many different ways, for example, number of days away from port, number of fishing days, number of trawl hauls, number of trawling hours (see Section 3.1.2). As an example, the form offers two effort measurements, but any number of different effort measures could be offered in the form.
Activity information (not trip-related): This information is related to the activity during the last time unit, for example, the last month. Thus, the data are not trip-related. However, the information can conveniently be collected during the interview. The information can be validated if a vessel is sampled more than once during the period. Activity is also recorded independently of the trips in Form 5 (Fishing activity in base port). The information of Form 5 can be evaluated by comparison with the information in the interview form.
Information on commercial groups: This box contains the first level of division of catch data, the data which are usually also recorded by the fishers or buyers. A further division requires sub-samples to be taken by the enumerator for further analysis (Species composition, Form 2 or Length frequency sample, Form 3).
Commercial species group, size and treatment: These three fields form a combined code. The “commercial species group” usually refers to the taxonomic groups, such as “Bull-eyes”, “Scads”, “Sardines”, etc. For high value species, the commercial groups are usually a single species, such as “king fish”, “red snapper” etc. For high value species, there may also be a division into size groups, such as “Small”, “Medium” and “Large”. The “Treatment” field is used to indicate treatments such as “Iced”, “Live”, “Dried”, “Gutted”. The actual use of the three fields depends on the particulars of the fisheries and the species caught. The weight and the kg-price are raw data, whereas the “Total value” is computed and is used only for validation of data. If a sample for species identification and/or length frequency is taken, “Spec. Comp.” is ticked.
Vessel Details Box: This box is exclusively used for validation and updating of the vessel register. In the case where a dependable and continuously updated vessel register is available, there would be no need for this box. The fields in the box also appear in the vessel registration form, where the description will be given.
The form contains data on the species composition of one commercial group, from the corresponding Form 1.
As there may be several commercial groups recorded in Form 1, there may be several Form 2 sheets related to one Form 1. The first line in Form 2 contains information, which was also in Form 1. This double recording is made in order to assure that the matching of forms is done properly. In particular, the “sample number (Form 1)” is used to assure the linking of the two forms. Also the fields “Commercial species group”, “Size”, “Treatment”, “Sample weight” are copied from the box “Information on commercial groups” in Form 1.
Species name: The “Species name” should be a code selected from a look-up table, which reflects a full taxonomic (scientific) classification of the species.
Sample weight: The total weight of the all specimens identified of the species in question.
Number of specimens: The total number of specimens identified of the species in question.
Length frequency sample: If a sub-sample is taken of body length measurements, this field is ticked, and a Form 3 associated with the current form is filled in. When a commercial group contains only a single species, Form 2 must still be filled in, if a length frequency sample is taken. Form 3 must always refer to a Form 2.
This form is linked to a species recorded in Form 2, through the information in the first box, and the species name. The sample numbers are used for double security of linking. In practice, the Forms 1, 2 and 3 will be kept together, so it should not normally be necessary to use sample numbers, which are universally unique. The form is designed for data entry as the sample is being measured.
Length unit. e.g. “cm”, “mm”
Length measurement type: e.g. “Total length”, “Fork length”, Carapace length", “Mantle length”
Sample weight: Total weight of all specimens measured.
Female/Male and Both: Separation by sex is used primarily for species with differences of commercial significance, notably shrimps. When the separation of sexes is easy, it may be made even in cases where the economic difference is less important.
Total: Total number of specimens in the length class.
Weight: Total weight of specimens in the length class (used for estimation of average weight, length-weight relationship etc.).
This form is used partly as an (optional) extension of Form 1 and partly to record costs and earning data.
Mate Vessel(s) Box: The vessel may be a member of a group of vessels which co-ordinate their activities in one way or the other. Pair trawling, for example, is a very common example of a group of two vessels, which co-ordinate their activities. The box allows for up to four vessels.
Additional Trip Information Box:
Date sailed, Date landed: If these observations are relevant for the calculation of effort or other parameters, this field allows for them to be recorded. In some studies, they may not be relevant observations.
Time sailed, Time landed: As above
Steaming time: As above
Expected trip duration: This observation can be compared to the actual trip duration and deviations may indicate unfavourable conditions for fishing or accidents.
Ice used: The quantity of ice used during the trip.
Fuel used: The quantity of oil/gasoline used during the trip.
Target species group: The expected main catch composition, species (size group of a species) or species group.
Damage/loss (estimate): For example, estimated value of lost or damaged gear, damage of engine etc.
Trip (Variable) Costs Depending on Effort: Some variable costs depend on the effort exerted, for example the number of fishing days. Other trip related variable costs depend on the weight or value of the landings (see Section 3.3).
Ice: Cost of ice used during the fishing trip.
Fuel and Lubrication: Cost of fuel (oil or gasoline) and lubrication used during the fishing trip.
Water: Cost of water used during the fishing trip.
Food: Cost of food consumed by the crew during the fishing trip.
Bait: Cost of bait used during the fishing trip.
Assistance: Payment for assistance from other vessels, for example, for light attraction or supply.
Trip (Variable) Costs Depending on Value or Weight of Landings: Trip related costs, which are not related to the effort (e.g. fishing days, see Section 3.3)
Auction fee: Fee paid in connection with the sale of the landings
Tax: A tax may be levied for the landings
Subsidy: A subsidy may be granted for the landings.
Consignment fee: A fee may (or may not) have to be paid for each consignment landed.
Sharing of Earnings Box: The crew may either receive a fixed salary, or they may be paid by sharing the value of the landings. Certain costs (fuel, lubrication etc.) will be subtracted from the total value of the landings before the shares are distributed to the crew and the vessel. This box allows for entry of the calculation of the shares for crew and vessel. The skipper will usually get a higher share than the other crewmembers.
Total value of landings:
Subtraction 1,2,3: Deductions from the value of landings.
Divisible earnings: The amount to be shared by crew and vessel.
Vessel share: The percentage of the divisible earnings given to the vessel-owner.
Captain's share: The percentage of the divisible earnings given to the skipper. If the skipper is also the owner she/he will also get the vessels share, but it should be recorded separately in the field above.
Crew share: The percentage of the divisible earnings given to the total number of crew except for the skipper.
Captain's wage: The wage of the skipper if he gets a fixed salary, or a salary on top of the share of the divisible earnings. The wage is the wage for the number of days the trip lasted and the number of days in the waiting period until next trip.
Crew wage: As above.
Transfer at Sea, Offload/On-Load Box: It may happen that a vessel does not land all or part of its catch. For example, of a group of 10 vessels operating on distant fishing grounds, only two will go to the landing place with the combined catch of all vessels, while the remaining 8 vessels continue fishing. Catches may also be transferred to “collector vessels”, that is, vessels which do not fish but only collect the catches of other vessels. The vessel may transfer or receive catches from other vessels.
Off-load vessel registration number: Registration number of the vessel to which the vessel of the interview transferred catch.
On-load vessel registration number: Registration number of the vessel, which transferred catch to the vessel of the interview.
Off-load commercial group, weight, value: Specification of the commercial group(s), weight and value of the transferred catch.
On-load: Commercial group, weight, value: As above.
Information on Sale by Commercial Groups Box: This box extends the box “Information on commercial groups” in Form 1, as it allows for a further split of the catch by merchant. In case landings of the box in Form 1 all went to a single buyer, it may not be necessary to fill in this box.
Commercial species group, size, treatment, weight, price/kg: Information similar to box “Information on commercial groups” in Form 1.
Buyer: The name of the buyer (merchant, processing plant, exporter etc.)
Skippers Performance Box: This is to evaluate the skipper's ability to provide information and his experience as fisher.
Skipper's experience: Number of year the skipper has been active skipper.
Is a logbook used? (Yes or No)
Type of logbook: The logbook may be an official (compulsory) logbook or the skipper may record the fishing activity for internal bookkeeping and for recording of experience.
Type of other recording: Skippers may keep notes on landings, prices costs and other recordings, which is not of the standard of a logbook, but may still be useful information.
Vessel Details Box: This box is used for validation/update of the vessel register (optional). The fields are explained in Form 8, the vessel registration form. Some additional vessel details may be collected if it is considered necessary for validation of the vessel register.
This form is for recording the number of fishing operations per time unit (e.g number of fishing days per month in each fishing season of the year). The data are collected for individual vessels in the base-port of fishing. The concept of “fishing operation” may be more specific than the “fishing days”. For example, as fishing operation may be a “gillnet set”, a “long-line set” etc. Note that the form is used for several vessels, which should all belong to the same vessel/gear category.
The form suggested here might be too general for real fisheries. A generic form, which can be used for recording of activity for any fishery, would be too complex. The activity form most likely has to be modified to meet the specific requests from the fishery in question.
Sample Information Box: This box is similar to the box for Form 1
Time Period Box.
From (date) to (date): The period during which the activity was recorded, e.g. the number of fishing days from 1st until 31st of May.
Number of days: This information is to check the two dates above.
Fleet Information Box.
Vessel type: The “vessel type” refers to the size of the vessel (say, length or horsepower) and the type of construction.
Gear: May be one gear or a combination of gears.
Fleet (optional): The “fleet” can be used if the vessel type and the gear are insufficient to define the fleet. The fleet concept may, in addition to vessel type and gear, include features like fishing techniques, fishing grounds, target species etc.
Basic Activity Data Box.
Vessel registration number, Province of registration, Homeport, Name of skipper: Basic information about the vessel.
Number of days away from port: Number of days at sea (whether fishing or not fishing) during the time period in question (= steaming days + shelter days + fishing days)
Number of fishing days: Number of active fishing days during the period in question (=days away from port - steaming days - shelter days)
Number of days at shelter: Number of “idle days”, with no fishing or steaming during the period in question. These days may apply to periods of bad weather.
Number of days steaming: Number of days used to go to and from the fishing grounds during the period in question.
Number of trips: Number of fishing trips during the period in question.
Port registration: Start date, End date: When the base-port is not the homeport, fishers may register with the local authority in the base-port, for example the coast guard or the harbour police. This information may be used to estimate the migration of fishing vessels.
Additional Information (Optional) Box: This box is used to record activity data more detailed than the number of days in the basic activity data box.
Start time, End time: Hours starting fishing and ending fishing during an average 24 hour circle.
Number of gears: This may, for example, be the number of gillnets used, the number of long-lines, etc. It may also be used to give the dimensions of the gear (length of gillnet, number of hooks, etc.)
Number of operations: The average number of gear operations, for example, the number of trawl hauls during a 24-hour period.
Target species: The expected most important species (species group) in terms of value.
Fishing grounds and landing place: This information may be used for calculation of steaming time and/or definition of fleets.
Duration of fishing operation: For trawls, this may be the average duration of a haul; for traps, it may be the soak time.
This form is used primarily when neither a reliable vessels register nor a good coverage by interview forms is available. The main information is the number of vessels by fleet. A frame survey should be a complete enumeration for the geographical area covered. It is not a sample.
Sample Information Box: This box is similar to the sample box for Form 1, except for the three fields: “Direct observation”, “Data source” and “Contact person”. The frame survey data refer to vessel categories (fleets), not to individual vessels. The frame survey is an inventory list for a “sampling site” (a port, village, district etc.), combined with some characteristics of the vessel category. The frame survey is made for the home port (the place of vessel registration).
Direct observation: (Yes or No). Direct observation means that the enumerator(s) of the sampling programme collected the frame survey data.
Data source: If the enumerators did not obtain the frame survey information by direct observation, this field is used to indicate the data source (local fisheries administration, co-operative, fishing company, etc.)
Contact person: The contact person for the data source.
Spatial Information Box
Province (or State), District, Village and Site: The geographical area covered by the frame survey. If the frame survey covers the entire province, the District, Village and Site field will not be filled in. A site is a part of a village, which is a part of a district, which is a part of a province.
Time Period Covered Box
Period sampled: Start date, End date: The period when the actual data collection took place (may be a single day).
Extrapolation period: Start date, End date: The period for which the frame survey data are assumed to be representative. The “period sampled” is a subset of the “extrapolation period”.
Number of Vessels by Category Box: The essential data is the number of vessels in the vessel category (primary data). The other information may be used for the definition of fleets (secondary data). The primary data is used for raising samples of landings to total landings for the geographical area of the frame survey.
Primary data: Vessel type: The vessel type may relate to type of construction, material of construction, size of vessel (vessel length, horse power of engine).
Primary data: Gear type: The gear may be one gear or a combination of gears. Additional information may be adequate to characterise the gear, for example mesh size or length of gear, in which case the form should be extended to cover the additional gear parameters (the leftmost “other” field may be used for that purpose).
Primary data: Number of vessels: This should be the total number of active vessels in the vessel category during the “extrapolation time period”. An active vessel must fish at least one day during that period.
Secondary data: Fishing grounds: The primary fishing grounds of the vessel category during the “extrapolation time period”.
Secondary data: Average trip duration: The average duration (days or hours) of the trip for the vessel category during the “extrapolation time period”.
Secondary data: Target species group: The primary target species (species group) of the vessel category during the “extrapolation time period”.
Secondary data: Fishing ground type: This may be sandy or muddy trawling grounds, the surface waters, coral reefs etc.
Secondary data: Number of fishers: Average crew size per vessel for the vessel category in question.
Secondary data: Fleet (Optional): The concept of fleet may be predefined, or it may be post-defined according to a processing of the frame survey data. In the case the fleets are predefined, the fleet may be recorded in this field.
The fixed costs are the cost of maintaining the vessel independently of the level of fishing activity (see Section 3.3). The form refers to an individual vessel.
Sample Information Box: This box is similar to the sample box of Form 1.
Vessel/Enterprise Information Box:
Vessel registration number, Homeport, Owner, Skipper: These are the same vessel details as in Form 1
Enterprise: Name of fishing company, co-operative etc. if applicable.
Contact person: The person who may be contacted for further information or verification of data.
Loan Box: This box contains the information on the financing of the purchase of vessel and equipment. The design of the box is very dependent on the local conditions and traditions. The box given here is to be considered one amongst many possible designs.
Credit scheme: Name of provider of loan, e.g. bank, person giving loan (merchant), etc., or name of specific fisheries credit scheme (if applicable).
Total annual payment: The annual instalment and interest.
Rate of interest: The percentage paid annually in interest.
Payment by share of landings: (Yes or No). Whether the owner of the vessel pays the loan in the form of a share of the landings. This sometimes applies to loans given by merchants. In some fisheries, this type of loan may not apply, so the following fields would not appear on the form.
Share of landings: The share of the landings paid as instalments and interest.
Variable costs paid by creditor: (Yes or No) The creditor may provide variable costs (fuel) and gear as a part of the agreement with the fisher.
Costs 1 paid by creditor, Costs 2 paid by creditor. Type of variable cost (for example, fuel) or additional investment (for example, new gear) provided by creditor.
Annual Costs and Subsidies Box: These are costs or subsidies to be paid or received on an annual basis, irrespectively of fishing activities.
Tax: The annual tax or levy to be paid for the vessel.
Subsidy: Fixed annual subsidy, levied irrespectively of fishing activity (for example, subsidy on fuel not included).
Type of subsidy: Cash payment, equipment, gear, services, assistance etc.
Licence fee: The annual fee for fishing licence to be paid for the vessel.
Harbour fee: The annual fee for harbour facilities to be paid for the vessel.
Investments/Depreciation Box: The investment is characterised by the value of the investment, the longevity of the investment, expressed as the % investment depreciation per year. If the investment is expected to last for, say, ten years, the depreciation is 10% per year. The part of the investment to be paid in foreign currency may be indicated.
Engines: The total value of the engines when purchased.
Gear: The total value of the gear(s) when purchased.
Hull: The total value of the hull, hold, cabins etc. when purchased.
Electronics: The total value of the electronic equipment (Radio, navigation equipment, fish-finder, etc.) when purchased.
Freezers: The total value of the freezing installations when purchased.
Annual Costs of Land-Based Support (per Vessel) Box: Operating the vessel usually requires additional support costs. These costs must be obtained by vessel. These costs may relate to the family of the fisher, temporarily hired support staff, or the management and support staff of a company. As the costs may be shared by a group of vessels, some of the costs of land-based activities often have to be estimated.
Salaries: Salaries paid per vessel per year of land-based management and support staff.
Overheads: Overheads paid per vessel per year of land-based support staff.
Investments: Annual investments in land-based facilities per vessel per year (estimate).
Operations costs: Operation costs paid per vessel per year for land-based activities (Storage of equipment, storage of landings, transport etc.).
Insurance Box
Insurance of vessel or crew? (Yes or No). Yes, if any type of insurance related to the fishing activity is provided. Insurance not directly related to the fishery should not be mentioned (insurance that should not be included in fixed costs of fishing).
Insurance of vessel per year: Annual premium for insurance of the vessel and its equipment.
Insurance of personnel per year: Annual premium for insurance of crewmembers.
The vessel registration form belongs to another category of documents compared to Forms 1–7. There are several administrative and legal purposes for the registration of vessels, which shall not be discussed in the present context. However, the vessel register can also be considered a part of the fisheries statistics, and actually, it is the “backbone” of many functioning fisheries statistics systems. The basic data collection unit is a “fishing trip” executed by one or a group of vessels, the identification and details of which are stored in the “vessel register”.
Registration Box
Owners name, Owners address: Full name and address of the primary owner (additional owners listed in “Owners box”)
Name of contact-person: The person to be contacted for information.
Chartered vessel (Y/N)?
Home port: Port of registration.
Main fishing grounds: The intended main fishing grounds (possibly linked to the fishing licence).
Association: Membership of fishers association, if applicable.
Credit scheme: Financing body (moneylender) of the vessel.
Vessel registration number: The unique vessel registration code. No two vessels should have the same vessel registration code. The code should be composed of letters and numbers, where the letters may indicate the homeport or home province of the vessel. If the province structure of a country is changing frequently, the use of province codes in the vessel registration code may be unfortunate.
Radio call sign: Radio call code used to uniquely identify a vessel.
Name of vessel: The name of vessel painted on the vessel.
Additional vessel registration number (1): In addition to the vessel registration number assigned by the Directorate of Fisheries, other national or international authorities may register the vessel with a different code for different reasons than the Directorate of Fisheries.
Telephone number, Mobile telephone number: Telephone number of vessel.
Legal basis: The legal basis of the registration.
Type of registration: Fishing vessel (full time/part time), collector vessel, supply-vessel, etc.
Authority of registration: The authority, which issued the registration document.
Remarks by “Directorate of fisheries” (Registration Authority): Any information relevant for the vessel registration, which is not covered by the above fields.
Vessel Information Box
Type of vessel: The “vessel type” concept may account for the main gear (trawler, purse seine, etc), and it may account for construction type, the hold type (with ice, with freezer) and other features of the vessel. The “vessel type” will depend on the local situation.
Construction material: Wood, steel, glass fibre, cement etc.
Year vessel built: The year the vessel was delivered from the shipyard.
First year of fishing: The year the vessel started to fish and land the catch.
Ship yard (and number): Name of shipyard, and the number of the construction assigned by the shipyard.
Engine Information Box
First engine, second engine, auxiliary engine: Information on all engines
Year of construction:
Manufacturer. Name of manufacturer.
Year of renovation: Year or last major engine renovation.
Max horsepower: The maximum number of horsepower the engine possibly can exert.
Nominal horsepower: The horsepower exerted with the actual setting of the engine.
Insurance Box
Insurance amount, last insurance assessment (year): The total amount insured (hull, engine, equipment and gears).
Crew Box
Crew number: The average number of crew on an average fishing trip.
Owners Box
Owner (1–7): The primary owner and owners in addition to the primary owner.
Name and address and registration no. of owner: The owner-registration may for example be related to the tax-authority.
Share % - Percent owned of vessel's value: The fraction of the total vessel-value of the additional owners.
Technical Information Box
Registered length for regulation purposes (m), Maximum length (m), Overall length (m), Breath (m), Depth (m), Gross tonnage, Net tonnage: Dimensions of the vessel.
Information on Change of Ownership of Vessel Box
Preceding vessel registration number, Preceding vessels name: The former vessel registration code/number and name of vessel as given in the registration box.
Date of change of ownership: The date the change of ownership was registered in the owner's register.
Date of new registration: The day the change of registration number and name of vessel was registered in the vessel register.
Information on Termination Box
Reason of termination of fishing: The reason may be scrapping of vessel due to old age, decommission, capsize sale of vessel for non-fishing purpose, etc.
Decommission amount: In case decommission is applied, the amount paid to the owner of the vessel.
Date of termination:
Navigation Speed (Optional) Box.
Navigation speed (knots): The steaming speed (Nautical miles/hour)
Hold (Optional) Box
Hold capacity m3: The volume of the hold for storage of landings using ice for preservation (excluding the freezing capacity).
Freezing capacity m3: The volume of the hold for storage of landings using freezing for preservation.
Gear Information (Optional) Box
Gear type 1–4: List of gears in order of importance.
Fishing Grounds Information (Optional) Box
Fishing grounds 1–4: The major fishing grounds or area specified in licence.
Electronic Equipment (Optional) Box
Navigation: Compass, radio navigation, satellite navigation, GPS, etc.
Fish finder: Echo sounder, sonar
Communication: Type of radio, and type of communication, range of equipment.
Below follow the eight forms as described in the text above:
